(Milliyet Newspaper, 15 March 2016)
Don't peel the messenger.
//ed.note: in Turkish slang, 'hıyar' (cucumber) means
'dolt, blockhead, uncouth and stupid'. //
Selim Ö. participated in a radio call-in program that
promised a cellphone as a prize in return for a correct answer.
Having given the correct answer, Selim Ö. was told by his
opposite party that he had won the cellphone and his address
and identity information were requested.
Selim Ö. was told that the cellphone, worth 2,000 TL (about
700 USD), would be sent via a cargo firm and, sure enough, a
week later Selim Ö accepted the cargo package, paying 188 TL
for the delivery fee.
Inside the package, however, Selim Ö. found a plastic model of
a cellphone and a cucumber (!), prompting him to file a complaint
with the Istanbul public prosecutor. The prosecutor determined
that the person who sent Selim Ö. the package was Mehmet S.,
who sells products over TV and radio.
In court, Mehmet S. explained that when his brick and mortar
trade and advisory firms were shut down he took to using TV
and radio to sell products: "I make advertisements and sell lots of
products, including telephones. I tried to reach the complainant to
make amends but I couldn't contact him. He didn't call me back. I
didn't sell him anything."
Nevertheless, Mehmet S. was found guilty of fraud and sentenced
to 2 years in jail and 200 TL in court fees. Because of good behavior,
the sentence was reduced to 1 year and 8 months, which was postponed
pending 2 years of court supervision.
As for Selim Ö., he whined that "I was both offended and defrauded."
Asserting that the damage he suffered had not been ameliorated,
Selim Ö. vowed to appeal the case.
Selim Ö. frustrated at getting a busy signal.
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